Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS member countries Chief of Defence Staff will today, Friday complete its two days meeting in Accra, Ghana to take decision on how to activate the ECOWAS standby force approved the community heads of governments for the restoration of democratic rules in Niger Republic.

The ECOWAS troops had said they are ready to participate in a standby force that could intervene in Niger Republic.

At the ongoing meeting in Accra, Ghana’s capital, the Defence Chiefs said they were prepared to restore civil rule in Niger. According to Al-Jazeera, all member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged readiness to participate in the standby force. ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said this.

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, said: “Democracy is what we stand for and it’s what we encourage.

“The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promote stability.”

It would be recalled that Burkina Faso and Mali, which have experienced multiple coups since 2020, warned that any military intervention in Niger would be declared as an act of war, revealing a fracture in the region between its coastal countries and those in the volatile Sahel.

After presidential guards seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum, ECOWAS issued a 7-day ultimatum to the military to restore the president or risk sanctions, including possible military action.

The Niger coup plotters succeeded in taking over power from Mohammed Bazoum on July 26, 2023 after two failed attempts.

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